The Price of Freedom
by CuddlyChristina
Summary: When a young student is killed during a bank robbery, she ends up joining Gantz to seek freedom. But upon revival, a mentioning of a familiar face leads to a few questions: Will they be able to cooperate and fight the enemy together, yet will he also understand her true feelings? R&R! *Nishi x OC / Formerly titled Blood Stained Badge / Complete*
1. Prologue

Author's note: My first Gantz fic; no surprise, since I'm new to the Gantz universe (be gentle!). Also this is my first serious fic, as the previous ones I've done were romantic comedies.

In case you're wondering, the main character, Tomoko Harada, is an original character. In addition, Tomoko's appearance, mainly her facial features, are based off of Jennifer Lawrence, in a nod to most of the characters resembling live-action / fictional actors and characters, like Sei Sakuraoka resembling Lara Croft.

Anyways, this is the prologue, which explains her death and how she ended up joining Gantz. This story also takes place after the introduction of Tae.

In addition, this fic also follows closely to the main storyline from the manga. In fact, this is also my entry into the list of 'Nishi x OFC' stories, and it also has something to do with the events that happened a year before he joined Gantz, too.

And yes, there will be ass-kicking, as well as sexual situations, and a couple of lemons. BTW, Tomoko and Natsuki Katagawa (another OC) belong to me.

With that said, enjoy this new fic from the mastermind behind 'The Battle Royale...That Never Was'!

**The Price of Freedom**

**Prologue**

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The sound of gunshots ran outside a bank, and many customers and staff tried to run and take cover. A few staff members were killed, and in the line of customers, there was a girl in a school uniform; her name was Tomoko Harada.

Possessing a killer body, with medium brown hair gathered up in a small bun, steel grey eyes and soft pink lips, Tomoko was a honors student, as well as the head of the art club, although she wasn't athletic. However, she had a strong fear of ghosts and was rather demure. Nevertheless, she was able to redeem herself with her calm facade as well as her sense of justice.

Tomoko also believed that this 'Gantz' was just an urban legend, claiming it was a haunted house with a haunted room inside.

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One day, when having lunch with her friend Natsuki Katagawa, they began talking about urban legends, and the rumor of seeing people in black suits lurking around the city, as well as the house that Tomoko believed was haunted. Natsuki was Tomoko's classmate, as well as the captain of the track and field team.

Unfortunately, she was coming home from school when she was taken captive by a man in a black jacket. From there, he raped, mutilated and killed her, causing a blow to Tomoko greatly, as they were also childhood friends.

"I have absolutely no clue who those people are. They may be dead, but they look like they're in purgatory or something." Natsuki joked.

"Me neither." Tomoko said with a sigh. "Just...what is Gantz, anyway?" she asked, causing Natsuki to shrug.

A week later, Tomoko nearly saw a girl with short black hair in a black suit who looked awfully familiar, but shrugged it off, although she was also afraid since she believed it was a ghost. But today was the day she was also going to get a taste of what is to be like as a part of 'Gantz'.

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As Tomoko stood there, she ran over to one of the criminals and attempted to attack him, such as punching him in the chest and elbowing him. However, he resisted her protests to leave the bank or get arrested.

In fact, he had something else in mind; pressing Tomoko against the wall, he lowered her school skirt and attempted to pull down her panties when the other criminal told him, "Just kill her already! She's been resisting all along!"

The criminal had no other choice; he took out a knife and stabbed her in the gut, causing Tomoko to cough up blood as she hit the floor, struggling to see anything before her. But she soon saw an image of Natsuki, smiling her usual bright smile before she told her, "I'll meet you later. Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon."

Tomoko closed her eyes and laid onto the floors of the bank...dead. However, it seemed as though she wasn't really dead, as her fate had already been sealed by the being called...

**Gantz.**

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"Miss Picasso...I've been expecting you since Cutting Board's arrival." A naked, bald man in a gas mask, known as Gantz, spoke aloud within the black sphere, awaiting the arrival of Tomoko.

Within seconds, Tomoko immediately surfaced into the room, and surprisingly, she looked more of a grown up instead of a schoolgirl.

Gantz eventually began speaking. "It seems you've arrived to see your friend again, Picasso." he told her.

"Me? But...but why am I here?" she asked, a look of surprise on her face.

"Well...a mission is intact as of now. Of course, there's only one hunter that is stopping the enemy...I suppose you would be willing to participate along with Cutting Board?" Gantz said.

Cutting Board was the nickname that Gantz used to call Natsuki by, due to her having an almost flat chest. She didn't like having small breasts, but seemed to embrace her figure, although she always wanted larger breasts like Tomoko.

Miss Picasso, on the other hand, was practically because Tomoko was head of the art club.

"I almost forgot...one of the hunters attended the same school as you, Picasso. Unfortunately, he has yet to be revived." Gantz said.

The man he was talking about was Joichiro Nishi, whom was in the same class as Tomoko before he committed suicide a year ago. She was alarmed to hear the news of her classmate being dead, and had tried to cope with it.

"Nishi...?" Tomoko said before trailing off, then exclaiming, "I thought this was nothing more of an urban legend! I always thought the people in black suits were ghosts! Why am I here?!"

"Look around." Gantz told Tomoko, and to her surprise, the very same dead staff members of the bank were also in the room.

"This...this isn't real! I want out!" Tomoko cried, overcome with horror.

"Tomoko...don't be scared. You can do it! Right, Mr. Gantz?" Natsuki said with a reassuring smile. This prompted Gantz to respond with, "You and your friend must take out the enemy at all costs."

Tomoko's look of fear eventually vanished, and then asked, "How do I get out of here? If I kill the aliens, then that means I'm free? That's the one thing I want: freedom."

"It's up to you. For now, I suppose you get to know your new friends, especially Mr. Nishi...if he's revived, that is." Gantz replied.

Tomoko was then presented her own Gantz suit and her equipment, and was told to suit up. Before she went to suit up, however, she took one more glance at Natsuki, who gave her a positive smile.

Keeping a stoic appearance, Tomoko simply nodded and went to get ready. Was she really ready to kill the aliens, so that she would be free from the living hell she seemed to be in? And more importantly, would she and Nishi really get along?

Only time will clearly tell...

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Rest assured, the story will continue! While you're waiting, or just plain interested, be sure to check out my other stories, too.

And I would like nothing more than to improve my story as well as the main storyline itself, even revise this chapter and future chapters, too. Thank you, and goodbye for now.

With love for my fans,

Chrissy


	2. The Shorty Aliens Mission

Author's note: Before we get to the main story, I have an explaination concerning this story.

The first time I uploaded it, I ended up editing it a lot of times, making sure it was all set with a plot as well as a backstory. Tomoko was originally a police officer at the time.

The second time I uploaded it, I researched on the Gantz wiki, and although the prologue was spiffy-looking, I took it down again.

The third time's a charm, and I changed Tomoko into a student, attending the same school as Nishi. That way, the story would be more comphrehensive.

Oh, by the way, I'm not really good with fight scenes...and yes, there will be romance, but not at this very moment!

Now, with that being said, enjoy this latest chapter!

**The Price of Freedom**

**Chapter 1: The Shorty Aliens Mission**

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Clad in nothing but a pair of white silk undies, Tomoko put on her Gantz suit and checked her equipment. She eventually left the room so that she could rendevous with Natsuki.

Gantz had informed them about the Shorty mission, and instead of assisting Kei Kurono, Tomoko and Natsuki would face the Shorty Aliens as a team of their own. If Tomoko wanted freedom so desperately, she needed to work hard to get it.

"Tomoko...are you ready?" Natsuki asked, all decked out in her Gantz suit and also equipped with weapons.

"Yes, I am. In fact, Gantz was wise enough to give us some weapons of our own, since Kurono had taken most of them prior to the start." Tomoko replied.

"Okay, let's get going!" Natsuki said with a grin.

Personality-wise, Natsuki was highly extroverted, in contrast to the calm, introverted facade of Tomoko. However, she was rather childish and naive, as well as a bit boy-crazy.

As Tomoko and Natsuki exited the building, Tomoko began to reflect on the past memories of her and Nishi's last encounter.

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One year ago...

Outside the school grounds, Tomoko was speaking to her classmates about the upcoming school festival. They had plans on showing their portraits to the teachers and students, and to explain their sense of artistic creativity and uniqueness.

However, Tomoko immediately noticed Nishi and told him, "May I walk you home? Clearly you need someone to protect you, especially since my friend's death."

Nishi just looked at her and shook his head. "Not really. Besides, I would rather do things on my own than need help." he replied.

Tomoko frowned but then said, "Very well. Be careful!" as she waved goodbye.

With a neutral expression, Nishi left for home. And it was the last time she had ever heard from her, for when he committed suicide upon discovering his mother hanging herself, as well as a rumored shoplifting incident, Tomoko realized that she began to show sympathy for his family.

They were classmates at the time, but Tomoko apparently developed a crush on Nishi, which he never reciprocated, as he never showed any interest in her. However, Tomoko continued her pursuit, nevertheless, but it ended abruptly when she heard of the tragic news.

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As Tomoko and Natsuki headed outside, stepping into battle along the staff members, they were surprised that there were five Shorty aliens. The two girls were also given a time limit to kill all five: approximately 25 minutes.

The clock began ticking, and the two girls immediately took action: Natsuki took out her X Gun and aimed it at the Shorty Alien near the car. Tomoko decided to take on two more Shorty Aliens, using her Gantz sword.

Natsuki, who was rather amateurish at shooting, attempted to lay waste onto the Shorty Alien. However, he shot at her, but she only took one hit, that on her right leg, and kept shooting at him.

Tomoko then came at the aliens and sliced at one of them, cutting it in half. She then attempted to attack the remaining Shorty Alien and he counterattacked by throwing her into a car.

Although hurt, Tomoko immediately took out her X Gun and fired at him, shooting him a few more times before he laid dead. She eventually went over to Natsuki and attacked the Shorty Alien her friend was initially fighting against by stabbing him with her katana.

For some odd reason, despite not handling a sword very well, she actually began to master it while getting suited up, while Natsuki, along with Tomoko, had to undergo target practice. Nevertheless, they would both be willing to lay their lives on the line now that they've trained together before their mission even began.

This left two Shorty aliens remaining, and both girls took on them at once. Natsuki immediately fired a few rounds off her X gun, killing the Shorty Alien on the right, leaving the one on the left remaining.

Tomoko used her Gantz sword to finish the remaining Shorty alien off, this eventually ended the mission as the time remaining was 3 minutes and 20 seconds. On the other hand, the staff members were chosen to take care of three Shorty Aliens. In the process, one was killed while the other two managed to destroy the aliens.

Unfortunately, in Kurono's case, there was really one Shorty alien remaining...

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As the two girls, as well as the two staff members, returned to the building, the wounds, bruises and scars that had sustained from the battle were gone.

"20 points for Miss Picasso. 10 points for Cutting Board."

The girls were then changed out of their suits and exited the building. However, Kurono had failed to kill off the remaining Shorty alien, and his points were erased completely.

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Back at home, Tomoko began to write into her journal, looking out the window. She sighed as she let her hair down, allowing her slightly long brown hair to end at her shoulders.

She never knew she would become a hunter until the day of the bank robbery, and she never knew that two classmates of hers would also be hunters, although one of them, Nishi, was a veteran. However, she knew full well that her path to freedom was just beginning, and that she needed the support of Natsuki, and hopefully, Nishi, if she, no, they have to get out alive.

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Be sure to review!

With love for my fans,

Chrissy


	3. The Kappe & Dinosaur Aliens Mission

Author's note: Nothing new, but thank you for waiting!

**The Price of Freedom**

**Chapter 2: The Kappe & Dinosaur Aliens Mission**

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**Total Points So Far**

**Tomoko: 20**

**Natsuki: 10**

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The reason Natsuki wanted to participate in the missions was that she wanted to do it for fun, as she believed it was like a real life video game. She recalled playing one of those alien shoot-em-up games she played in the arcade with Tomoko and a few other friends every time they went to the shopping mall.

When she first appeared before Gantz, she wasn't scared, but rather enthusiastic about fighting aliens. She also didn't seem to mind him calling her Cutting Board, but seemed perplexed why her small breasts were the source of this nickname.

Other than that, however, Natsuki had cute, short pixie-like black hair, as well as big brown eyes. She was also rather slender, and shorter than her friend, but she always tried to rival her friend by wearing high heels, although she usually did so for fun.

So far, she heard of the Kappe alien's presence in the city, and when it, along with the Dinosaur aliens arrived, she had just come home from school when Natsuki felt a strange chill in the air.

Making sure her parents wouldn't notice, she wrote a note to them before leaving the house.

_Dear Mom & Dad,_

_I'll be gone for a while, but don't worry, I'll be back! I'll even pick up some donuts on the way home._

_Love, Natsuki_

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Meanwhile, Tomoko had arrived at the building, and to her surprise, she was met with the presence of other hunters. One of them, which was Kurono, asked her, "Who are you? And why didn't you help me with the last Shorty alien?"

"Didn't you destroy it? Even though most of the students were dead." Tomoko replied.

Kurono was taken by surprise at her words, and nodded his approval as he said, "I...remember that. I'm glad that Tae is still alive."

"Who's Tae?" Tomoko asked.

"My girlfriend...unfortunately, my feelings for her are conflicted by the feelings I have for Reika." Kurono told her.

Kurono then pointed towards a beautiful woman with long black hair, full breasts and a stunning physique. Clearly Tomoko had almost the same proportions as her.

"Oh, and allow me to introduce myself. I'm Tomoko Harada; I'm also a student at the school a few classmates of mine went to, Natsuki and Nishi." Tomoko said.

"Nishi...?!" Kurono said, almost to the point of bewilderment. "You...you're friends with him?!"

"Well...we're classmates, but the truth is, I'm quite fond of him. However, he doesn't seem aware of my feelings towards him. Usually he just speaks for a brief period and leaves." Tomoko explained.

"Wow...that reminded me of Kei Kishimoto...a girl I liked, but she ended up with Masaru." Kurono said.

"I feel rather sorry about her neglecting your feelings, Kurono." Tomoko replied with a frown.

Natsuki then arrived into the room, having already changed into her Gantz suit. "Sorry, I'm late! Hey, who are you?" she said before noticing Kurono.

"Kei Kurono...you must be Harada's classmate?" Kurono asked.

"Of course!" Natsuki said with a cheery smile. "Tomoko's my best friend since we were little." she added.

"Ah..." Kurono said, nodding his approval.

Tomoko and Natsuki then noticed a man with long hair, before Natsuki said, "He's cute!"

This caused Shion Izumi's attention, and asked the two girls, "Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing...I'm just goofing off!" Natsuki replied with a small giggle.

Izumi sighed. Clearly he didn't know these two girls, but Nishi once told him that he was familiar with the buxom brunette Tomoko, but had no interest in being a close friend of hers.

"We're new here, so...anyways..." Natsuki said, although Izumi just nodded. Clearly he had no interest in speaking to the two girls.

Soon, Gantz gave the participating hunters information regarding the Dinosaur aliens, and that their presence is needed to destroy them. As Tomoko finished changing into her Gantz suit, she told Natsuki, "You better be careful out there."

"Sure, I will!" Natsuki said with a wink.

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Unlike the Dinosaur aliens, the Kappe alien was rather easy to take down, as it was beaten up by Daizaimon Kaze, and it was eventually killed by Izumi. For some odd reason, Tomoko and Natsuki were en route to pursuing the Dinosaur aliens, when the shorter girl couldn't help but fawn over the boy's win over the Kappe alien.

However, he was continuously unaware of her feelings, and never seemed to care about Natsuki's growing interest. He was more focused on the mission than the feelings of a pretty girl.

The Dinosaur aliens then made their way into the city. While killing the raptors was fair game, Tomoko and Natsuki immediately split to take on one of the three Triceratops, and the T-Rex, repectively.

Natsuki nearly burnt her left arm by an incoming fireball, and did her best to shoot down the T-Rex. However, just as the T-Rex was about to engulf Natsuki in flames, a man in a Gantz suit came in to assist her by deflecting the fireball with his sword, causing it to burn within the fire.

She noticed and exclaimed, "Thanks! You really saved my hide! I hope I can repay you someday!"

Izumi, however, really didn't seem to care. But he nodded and went off to locate the rest of the aliens, with or without help.

On the other side, Tomoko had a hard time trying to kill off the Triceratops alien, when she noticed the woman in the Gantz suit appear before her.

"You look like you need some assistance." Reika Shimohira said with her sword drawn.

"Sure...no problem!" Tomoko replied.

Eventually the two girls took turns attacking the Triceratops alien. The alien then pushed Tomoko away from her, so that she nearly crashed into the ground. However, she got up and ran over to Reika to continue their attack.

Noticing that the growing muscles were an easy target, Tomoko immediately ran over to it and stabbed the Triceratops alien in its muscles, and it emitted a loud scream before hitting the ground, dead.

Tomoko and Natsuki eventually reunited to locate the Brontosaurus alien, which Izumi and Kurono, the latter not wearing his suit, had trouble killing. In a surprising turn of events, the suit-less hunter found out that its brain was located in its chest, and, giving him a total of 58 points, he shot at the target with his X Gun.

The two girls watched as the Brontosaurus slowly met its demise. The battle had been won, but there was something in the air, and soon, the vampire bosses, controlled by Hikawa, made their way into the battlefield, killing most of the surviving Gantz members.

Sixteen unnamed hunters were killed, leaving only eleven remaining: ten humans, which included Tomoko and Natsuki, and a panda.

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Once the mission had ended, despite the interference of the vampire bosses, Tomoko and Natsuki, luckily still alive, were en route to the bakery where Natsuki made good on her promise to her parents: picking up a box of donuts. Once arriving home safely, the two girls then shacked up in the shorter girl's room.

"Did Gantz tell us about these vampires, Natsuki?" Tomoko asked.

"Well...no, not really. But I hope he found out about it..." Natsuki replied, before she took a bite out of a chocolate jelly donut.

"Which reminds me...that girl Reika was gracious enough to come to my aid. What about you? Did you get someone's help also?" Tomoko asked.

"Let's just say that Izumi saved me from becoming extra crispy by those fireballs." Natsuki said. However, she still had no idea he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings.

"I need to research on those vampires..." Tomoko said to herself as the two girls eventually finished eating and said goodbye.

As Tomoko went home, she knew full well, that she and Natsuki were ready to play the game, for freedom, and for fun, respectively.

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"18 points for Tomoko. 6 points for Natsuki."

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While Tomoko began reading up articles concerning the vampires on the internet, she also stumbled upon a peculiar site with all sorts of links, and noticed one that seemed to concern Gantz. Curious, she clicked the link, and was taken completely by surprise.

Nishi actually ran this website, yet he also made sure that Gantz did not know about all this hidden information regarding him, the hunters, missions, and even the aliens. Yet Tomoko didn't seem to realize that there was a hidden message in between two paragraphs.

It read: "All will come to an end."

What did it mean? Did it mean all the aliens will be dead? Or would the world come to an end? Tomoko shuddered at the latter question before she resumed her work on getting more information on the vampires.

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Be sure to review! And feel free to ask me to revise any of these chapters if I'm missing something or need something to spice them up. I'm really new to the Gantz world, y'know...

With love for my fans,

Chrissy


	4. The Ring Aliens Mission & The Tae Hunt

Author's note: Nothing new, but once again, thanks for waiting! Concerning the previous chapter, Izumi may or may not spawn an interest in Natsuki. Perhaps her perkiness might cheer him up, I suppose. As for Tomoko, however, we have yet to witness her first encounter with Nishi.

Let's not forget the lemony goodness in this chapter!

**The Price of Freedom**

**Chapter 3: The Ring Aliens Mission & The Tae Hunt**

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**Total Points So Far**

**Tomoko: 38**

**Natsuki: 16**

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As Tomoko and Natsuki were having lunch near a cafe, both girls were discussing about the rumored next mission. However, while the brunette was stoic and calm, focused on the mission, the black-haired girl couldn't stop talking about how Izumi saved her life from the T-Rex alien.

The next day after the Dinosaur aliens were defeated, Natsuki attempted to call Izumi a number of times, but he never answered them. She even attempted to wave hello to him when she saw him at the very same cafe a few days after that.

As for Tomoko, she simply sighed as she told Natsuki, "I don't think he's interested in you. He really doesn't seem to care about anyone else. He might not be even interested in a romantic relationship with a girl like yourself."

Natsuki grimaced and crossed her arms, rather peeved by her friend's words. To the two girls's surprise, they immediately noticed Kurono and a girl with him.

Was it Reika? Or was it Tae? Tomoko had to take a closer look.

Once she did so, she knew it wasn't Reika, but rather Tae. Tomoko then sat back in her seat and told Natsuki quietly, "I'm not sure why, but even though he's in love with Reika, he's also in love with that other girl."

"Really? Gosh, I never expected something like that to happen." Natsuki said as she witnessed Kurono and Tae talking together.

The couple almost glanced at the two girls, but just resumed talking and eating. Yet Tomoko was concerned about Natsuki; could it be that she was obsessed with pining over Izumi?

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The day that the two girls were called in by Gantz, Tomoko and had just gotten her suit on while Natsuki was busy changing, clad in nothing but a pair of pink polka-dot panties.

"We're dealing with a couple of aliens, known as the Ring aliens. Fortunately, they're not much of a threat." Tomoko explained.

"Really? I wonder why?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"I don't know..." Tomoko said, rather perplexed.

And so, when the mission began, both girls began to team with the others, testing their strength as well as their courage. However, what they didn't realize is that the Ring aliens were not the main enemy.

It turned out that, according to Gantz, Tae is the hunters's next target, and to the two girls's surprise, they had no idea that Kurono's girlfriend would get involved in the situation. She was even seen during the mission, taking pictures of all that was unfolding.

Concerning the number of points, both Tomoko and Natsuki each scored 10 points.

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**Total Points So Far**

**Tomoko: 48**

**Natsuki: 26**

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And so, when the hunt for Tae began, it turned out that Natsuki became more and more interested in Izumi, not just as an ally, but rather romantically. From the start, he showed no interest in her, but due to her pestering and endless calls, as well as having letters written to him from the short-haired girl, he knew that there was something very strange in the air.

But he wasn't sure if Natsuki's naivety and growing desire for him was going to break him mentally and emotionally. And, for Natsuki, in a good way.

Because of this conflict, Izumi allowed Natsuki to join his team, although he didn't want her following him everywhere. Tomoko, on the other hand, joined Kurono's team.

Yet Tomoko was afraid that Natsuki's obsession seemed to put a strain on their friendship. But the shorter girl told the brunette that she also didn't want to kill Tae, as she was horrified by the conditions of the mission.

This reassured Tomoko greatly, and let out a sigh of relief, and Natsuki realized that she joined Izumi's team for one reason only: not to kill of Tae, but to try and grow closer to him.

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And so, Kurono's team, with Tomoko, and Izumi's team, with Natsuki, began to fight over the opportunity to kill Tae Kojima. However, Tomoko and Natsuki never fought one another, yet the remaining rapists that participated in the previous mission attempted to assault Tomoko.

One of them began fondling and squeezing one of Tomoko's rather large breasts, and another pinned her to the ground. The third one even attempted to tear open her Gantz suit as well as her panties.

However, Yoshihiro Suzuki managed to attack the three rapists, allowing Tomoko to escape their clutches. And thus, the fight continued until Tae entered the scene.

Izumi, with a glint in his eye, decided to take the opportunity to kill Tae himself, and did just that, not only horrifying Kurono, but also Tomoko and Natsuki. Luckily, Reika was there to comfort the short-haired girl, while Tomoko witnessed Kurono holding Tae in his arms.

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As Tae's remains were transferred, so did everyone else. Only two hunters, which were Yoshiaru Ueda and Iwamo, were killed, with fifteen hunters surviving, including Tomoko and Natsuki.

The brunette was given 10 points, while the dark-haired girl earned 20, as she was a witness to Izumi killing Tae.

However, Tomoko had no idea why something like this actually happened. Yet she apparently noticed Natsuki walking towards Izumi. For a while, she witnessed them exchanging in a brief conversation, before all of a sudden, he pinned her to the wall.

"I-Izumi? What are you doing?" Natsuki asked, almost scared.

"Katagawa...you're so naive, so innocent...you were actually willing to witness me kill that girl?" Izumi replied.

"I...I was. But...why did you do it?" Natsuki said.

"Because I enjoy being a hunter, just like you said that you were playing for fun. I guess that's one thing we have in common when we're hunters, right?" Izumi said.

"Of course." Natsuki replied with a smile.

"Good...which reminds me, let me take you somewhere where no one will see us...Natsuki. Hopefully Ryoko won't notice." Izumi said before claiming Natsuki's lips in a passionate kiss.

Now Tomoko realized that Natsuki had just fallen hard for Izumi's cruel charms. Was he going to use her as more than an ally? Just where were they going?

Both Izumi and Natsuki exited the building after changing into their normal clothes, with Tomoko following suit.

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The night sky was dark and blue, almost inviting to the people on the streets, and Tomoko was perhaps part of it, but for a different reason. She had to find out where Izumi was taking Natsuki.

She followed their trail until she found them entering a large, pink building. A love hotel, no doubt.

Tomoko was now distraught with worry: did Natsuki go into the downward spiral of chaos and evil, perhaps no longer a goody-two-shoes like she used to be?

As Tomoko returned home, she began to contemplate the thought of dissolving her friendship with Natsuki, yet at the same time, trying to rekindle it.

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At the love hotel, in the Red Room suite, which had a carnal yet dark theme to it, Izumi had just removed all of Natsuki's clothes before unbuckling his pants. From there, he commanded her to go down on him, and she willingly accepted.

What Natsuki did not notice was that Izumi was actually dating Ryoko Shinozaki, a close friend of Tae's. When they arrived at the love hotel, she asked if he had a girlfriend, and he simply replied, "Yes."

However, his carnal interest in the short-haired girl wouldn't be an intrusion to his relationship with Ryoko.

Holding onto her short, dark hair, Izumi watched with a wicked grin as Natsuki licked and sucked his length, apparently learning her skills in oral sex quite well despite her lack of sexual experience. She looked up at him with a mischievous smile before she sped up further.

At some point, Izumi pulled his shaft out of Natsuki's mouth and immediately undressed, so that he sat there on the large bed, naked. He then pulled Natsuki, also nude, onto the bed, where he had her on all fours.

Sliding on a condom, he mounted Natsuki from behind, teasing her twat briefly before sliding into her almost completely, sensing the fact that she wasn't a virgin. She held onto the red sheets as Izumi began pumping into her at a moderate pace.

Izumi had actually engaged in sexual intimacy with Ryoko, and from the looks of it, Natsuki could tell that he knew how to take charge.

Holding onto Natsuki's small hips, he gave each of them a squeeze before his hands went upwards, reaching her small breasts. Izumi leaned in to kiss and suck the nape of her neck as he pinched and teased her hard, pink nipples.

Natsuki's moans began to fill the air, and Izumi decided to thrash harder into her, managing a seductive yet evil smile as he eventually took hold of her arms. She screamed and cried out in endless ecstasy, allowing him total control over her.

Izumi soon grunted as pulled her up so that her back was against his broad chest. He then slid his tongue into Natsuki's inviting mouth, tasting the insides of her mouth as he began pumping into her harder and faster.

Natsuki then moaned loudly as she climaxed first, but Izumi wasn't finished yet. He thrusted into her a few more times before he pulled out, removing the condom and squirting his seed all over her body.

She simply laid there, almost to the point of passing out. However, Izumi simply leaned in and kissed her again, before telling, "Let me clean you up, then we'll get back in bed for another round or two."

Panting furiously, Natsuki nodded her approval before he carried her into the bathroom.

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Although Natsuki had just been given the ride of her life, Tomoko had yet to experience an event similiar to hers. But when the arrival of new aliens began to appear, it would be never the same for her.

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Once again, make sure to review, and check out my other stories! Oh, and lo and behold, it's a pretty passionate and carnal lemon ending in the chapter if I say so myself.

...

Okay, it's my first attempt at a more racy and steamy love scene. Anyways, gotta go for now!

With love for my fans,

Chrissy


	5. The Oni Aliens Mission

Author's note: Thank you for waiting! Now we finally (finally!) get to the creamy center of the story. The surprise reunion between Tomoko and Nishi that'll have you guessing: will he forgive her for his coldness towards her and embrace her true feelings for him? Or will he leave her out in the cold, causing her feelings to be unrequited?

**The Price of Freedom**

**Chapter 4: The Oni Aliens Mission**

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**Total Points So Far**

**Tomoko: 58**

**Natsuki: 46**

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In her room, Tomoko began to remember the incident that she was killed in before her admission into Gantz. At the bank, she was withdrawing some money so that she could go to the arcade at the shopping mall with her friends.

However, when a few robbers interfered, she attempted to attack them, despite not very athletic. Unfortunately, they, at first, attempted to sexually assault her, when one of them simply said that they should just kill her, and they did just that.

Suddenly, Tomoko heard a knock on the door and answered it. Standing outside her house was Natsuki, wearing the same clothes from yesterday.

"Natsuki...? What happened to you...?" Tomoko asked.

"Um, Tomoko...will you keep this a secret?" Natsuki replied.

"Yes." Tomoko said with a nod.

"Okay...last night, when we returned to Gantz's building, I told Izumi that I was happy yet horrified for him when he killed Tae. Then I started talking to him about my interest in him, and then he told me that he was also a hunter and enjoyed killing enemies for fun, just like myself. Next thing I know, he took me to a love hotel, where we ended up...you know..." Natsuki said before trailing off.

"You...you did...?" Tomoko asked, rather bewildered.

"Yeah...we went all the way, and to be honest, we ended up engaging in sexual intimacy with one another almost all night. Then he told me that I am officially one of his allies, and also, some sort of sex friend." Natsuki said.

An ally and a sex friend?! Clearly, Natsuki wasn't making all of this up, thought Tomoko.

"Which reminds me...before I joined Gantz, a man in a black hooded jacket caught me by surprise when I was returning home from school. He then captured me and took me to an empty building, where he eventually raped me and deprived me of my innocence. However, he wasn't done yet. He even amputated my legs, cut my torso open and gouged my eyes out. It was awful, so awful..." Natsuki said before she fell into Tomoko's arms.

Tomoko then noticed that Natsuki was now crying, but then the short-haired looked up at her with a smile amid tears as she added, "Then after I joined Gantz, and after he killed Tae, Izumi began showing me how carnal yet amazing real sex was. It wasn't rape...just lust-driven sex that I was willing to participate in."

The brunette soon had an epiphany: she died a virgin, and if she gave up her virginity to someone she had no interest in, she would highly regret it. Clearly Tomoko had to make a choice.

Would her first experience be painful and humilating like Natsuki's? Or will it be completely different?

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And so, the two girls, as well as the rest of the hunters, were provided their next mission: The Oni aliens. They began holding meetings and began training to ensure their survival, and although Tomoko and Natsuki sparred with one another, they believed that this was only for fun, to see which one was strongest.

Throughout the streets, the Oni aliens were in human guise, and had been indulging in all sorts of entertainment. However, they weren't really human when it came to their true appearances.

Once out on their own, Tomoko began to grow suspicious as she noticed Natsuki teaming with Izumi. He simply told her with a neutral expression, "Follow me."

Tomoko never realized that Natsuki would become more attached to Izumi than ever before, especially what happened after the mission when they were at the love hotel. However, the brunette had to focus on her enemies.

As Tomoko began to perform the art of sniping on some of the Oni aliens, one of them appeared before and managed to caress her tight, toned buttocks. She gasped before turning around and aimed her X Gun at him.

"Who are you?! Are you with the Oni aliens?!" Tomoko asked.

"Do I look like an alien to you? Absolutely not, I'm just a wanderer." The man said, obviously lying since he was really an Oni alien all along.

"A wanderer...then what do you want with me? And why are you fondling me inappropriately?" Tomoko said.

"I was noticing how sexy you looked in that tight suit. And I can clearly tell you have an amazing rack, much like most of the hottest women out here." the Oni alien told her.

"What...what do you mean?" Tomoko asked before the Oni alien pounced on her, pinning her to the ground.

"Come on, baby, let's spend a little time together and go get some ramen after that. Whaddaya say, honey?" the Oni alien asked.

Tomoko's eyes widened before the man started fondling and caressing her breasts, before teasing her now hardened nipples. Curious, he leaned in to suckle on one of them, allowing her to gasp and knee him in the chest.

"Ouch...that hurt!" the Oni alien yelled as she pulled herself away from him. "Don't think you're gonna get away that easily, you busty slut!" he said angrily.

"Don't you dare come near me!" Tomoko yelled, with her X Gun still aiming at him.

However, the time limit suddenly stopped midway, giving Tomoko the opportunity to attack the Oni alien. She started by punching him in the face multiple times, clearly unaware that the Gantz suit had given her immense strength.

Then she used her X Gun to blow his brains out, and then jumped off the roof of the building and ran off. There, Tomoko encountered Reika, who allowed her to team up with her.

Meanwhile, Natsuki continued her path of destruction by killing an Oni alien, after he attempted to fondle her legs, of course. She even thanked Izumi for allowing herself to strike back against the alien when she thought she could give up and have the alien use her body.

By then, the human forms of the Oni aliens dissappeared, revealing their true forms. Tomoko and Reika, and Natsuki and Izumi began taking down the aliens, along with Kurono and the rest of the hunters.

Once the aliens had been destroyed completely, a few vampires came in and attacked Izumi. He simply commanded Natsuki to leave, and let him kill the vampires himself.

However, he was eventually killed; in addition, a total of ten hunters were killed, which included Izumi and Hiroto Sakurai. However, Sakurai would be resurrected eventually.

Yet a young girl came to Izumi and had mourned his death: she was none other than Ryoko, whom Natsuki had no idea he was actually dating at the time he had been brought back to Gantz.

Tomoko was given 40 points, while Natsuki was given 50. Both girls were close to the 100 mark, but what they would choose was completely up to them.

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Back at the building, a few hunters, including Sakurai, were resurrected, as well as the non-hunter Tae. Masaru Kato was also resurrected, so that he would reunite with his younger brother.

Yet the last one was clearly a surprise for Tomoko: Nishi was also resurrected!

Upon changing back into her normal clothes, Tomoko was greeted by Nishi's voice as he said, "Harada...we meet again."

The look of shock and bewilderment on Tomoko's face was priceless: Just who resurrected him? And why?

"How...how did you get here?" Tomoko asked, clearly concerned.

"That big oaf Kaze used his points to revive me, so I'm back in the game. Which reminds me...I seemed rather pleased that two of my classmates would participate in Gantz's game." Nishi replied.

"Me? And Natsuki? But...Natsuki is...!" Tomoko said.

"Izumi and I...we're sex friends. When the hunt for Tae was completed, he made me his assistant and ally, too." Natsuki replied, also wearing her normal clothes.

That brat Katagawa, thought Nishi. "Izumi...so you've joined forces with him I suppose?" he asked.

"Well...yes, but originally, I had been with Tomoko most of the time, but when I began to develop a romantic interest in Izumi, he thought I'd make a good teammate, other than Inaba." Natsuki explained.

"Unfortunately, he didn't want me to side up with him and kill the vampires, so I had to get out of there before I was killed." she added.

"Hmph..." Nishi simply nodded before turning his gaze towards Tomoko. "Don't you remember me? And Natsuki?" Tomoko asked.

"I know Katagawa, as she was that annoying girl with that stupid smile on her face. And as for you, Harada...I know you as well." Nishi said.

Tomoko sighed before she began, "Listen to me...you know that I actually had a crush on you back when were in school. When I've heard of your unexpected suicide, I was immediately distraught. Even the rest of the classmates were horrified about what happened. Now that we're here...there's just one thing I must ask you: Will you and I be able to fight the aliens together?"

Nishi could tell Tomoko was desperate. From the start when he joined her class, he became an acquaintance of hers, and became nothing more than a friend.

However, as her feelings for him began to develop, he became unaware and uninterested. He didn't seem to care much about love, and Nishi would never feel the same towards her.

Tomoko began to assume that he may have had a girlfriend, but she didn't catch her name. Nevertheless, the girl did not interfere with the brunette's hidden interest in him.

He even began to ignore her by the time Tomoko wrote letters to him and called him, yet he refused to answer them and write back. This led to a quarrel between the two, and Nishi then told her that he cared about no one but himself, even if he was a friend of hers.

But Tomoko knew she had to convince him to let her join up with him. Yet, will it succeed?

"Only on one condition." Nishi simply replied.

"Yes...?" Tomoko asked.

"As long as you don't stray from me in the next mission." Nishi said.

This caused Tomoko to let out a sigh of relief. Surely, she knew it was a new beginning for both of them, yet she knew she was going to go for the opportunity in trying to get him to reciprocate her unrequited love.

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We're going deeper into the story, and will Tomoko and Nishi get along as a team? See you for the next chapter!

*I had to add in the above post-story comments, and I know the fic ain't over...yet.*

With love for my fans,

Chrissy


	6. The Nurarihyon Alien Mission

Author's note: As the last few missions approach for the Gantz hunters, so does Tomoko reaching her breaking point. Is she close to getting her happy ending? Read on to find out! (BTW, this is one lengthy chapter!)

Oh, and enjoy the incoming lemon in this chapter!

**The Price of Freedom**

**Chapter 5: The Nurarihyon Alien Mission**

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**Total Points So Far**

**Tomoko: 98**

**Natsuki: 96**

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_Tomoko, this is your conscience speaking._

_You must make a choice, as you are reaching the 100 mark._

_Should you free yourself, you may have missed a golden opportunity._

_However, if you make yourself stronger, then you could continue your quest._

_Yet, will you be really free after all this?_

_After all, there's only one obstacle standing in your way..._

_...it's called 'love'._

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As Tomoko stared out the window of her bedroom, she could feel a chill across her back. She turned around, but saw nothing behind her.

Letting out a small sigh, she told herself, "I must get ready. I don't want to keep him waiting."

Gathering up her equipment, Tomoko then left home and made her way to Gantz's building. Of course, she realized that the hunters were off to Osaka for their next mission.

Their latest target? The Nurarihyon alien.

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From there, the hunters found out that there was also a Gantz team in Osaka. Just as the mission was about to start, however, some vampires made their way into the city, attacking Kurono.

Kurono, and a few other hunters, as well as Tomoko and Natsuki, who eagerly volunteered to help out, began taking them out, but it led to the boy's demise. The hunters were then transferred back to the building, where Gantz explained the Nurarihyon mission to them.

Yet there was a clear surprise: two of the vampires, Hikawa and Chiaki, had managed to join the team. Tomoko had no clue why they would be part of the hunters, but had to keep her focus on the mission instead of questioning the two vampires's agendas.

And so, as the mission began, Natsuki teamed up with Kato and his allies, unaware of Tomoko following Nishi's lead.

"Harada...I want you to assist me. Plain and simple." Nishi told the brunette.

"Okay." Tomoko replied with a nod.

"Tomoko...be careful out there." Natsuki called out to her.

Tomoko nodded once more, this time to the short-haired girl. Meanwhile, the vampires were unaware of the rules that were designated, and attempted to leave.

Unfortunately, three newcomers that joined the vampires, were immediately killed, and when Hikawa and Chiaki discovered that there was a bomb in their brains, they returned to the battlefield. Once back in the game, the two vampires encountered some of the aliens.

Initially, the vampires and aliens teamed up to kill some of the members of the Osaka team. But as time passed, the aliens attacked Hikawa and Chiaki, causing the former to lose a finger, and the latter to be injured by losing an arm.

Thus, the three aliens - Nurarihyon, Tengu and Inugami - had their point values detected by an Osaka team member. And when Hachirou Oka, the strongest of the Osaka team, felt that he couldn't destroy Nurarihyon due to his changing shapes, he decided to allow the Tokyo team to take control.

Kaze was the first to fight Nurarihyon, but felt that he was losing the upper hand when the others came in to assist. The team then began to come up with a strategy: to snipe the Nurarihyon alien to further weaken it.

Meanwhile, Natsuki, alone and without any help, had found the strong Tengu alien. However, despite his advantage over her, she managed to use her X Shotgun to obliterate him.

Tomoko, on the other hand, requested to split up briefly from Nishi, which he accepted, so that she could locate the Inugami alien. Although he was not as powerful as Tengu, he tried to use his cunning to take down the brunette, but was eventually sliced by her sword.

Returning to Nishi, Tomoko resumed their strategy against Nurarihyon. When the alien returned, he killed off Oka, and went after Kato.

As the Osaka team had no hope remaining, Nishi managed to obtain a Z Gun in the process, and had plans to rescue Kato from Nurarihyon. Just as he was ready to go, however, Tomoko called out to him, saying, "Allow me to join you!"

Nishi nodded his approval and said, "Fine." before the two went after Nurarihyon.

When Nurarihyon confronted Kato, they engaged in a brief conversation before the alien felt several blows to his body. The hunters, having successfully carried out their strategy, had allowed Hikawa to split the alien down right the middle.

With Nurarihyon weakened, Nishi also attempted to kill the alien, but he ended up losing an arm. Tomoko made sure not to let her guard down, as she decided to take over for him.

"Harada...you're taking over...for me?" Nishi asked Tomoko.

This caused Tomoko to notice and nodded with a small smile. "I am. Kato will make sure you're alright." she replied.

Nishi simply nodded back, an unusual but welcome half-smile appearing on his face.

After Kato saved Nishi, his legs were soon dismembered by Nurarihyon, and he managed to lock onto the trigger of his H Gun, aiming it straight at the alien. However, the alien was also aiming his lasers as Reika, but Anzu Yamazaki, whom Kato was falling for, shielded the girl from the attack, allowing herself to die.

The attack on Nurarihyon succeeded, and he was completely destroyed. Other than the three newcomers, Kenzo Sakata was killed during the mission.

Concerning the Osaka team, fourteen hunters were also killed, including Oka and Anzu. Kazuo Kuwabara, Miho Yamanaka and Sumiko Yamada, the latter two having been put in the care of the former, earned their freedom.

Tomoko scored 68 points, while Natsuki scored 71.

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Unexpectedly healed, all the hunters had also returned to their respective buildings. Kato used his 100 points to revive Kurono, and the 17-year-old virgin of the Osaka team vowed to revive Anzu.

Tomoko and Natsuki had a whopping 166 points and 167 points, respectively, and decided to use their 100 points each to obtain new weapons. The next time Tomoko had to get 100 points, however, she made sure she would use it to free herself from Gantz once it was all over.

The brunette managed to catch up with Kato and he told her, "I want to thank you for telling me that I had to protect Nishi when he was attacked by the Nurarihyon. If he lost his other arm, then he'd be defenseless."

"You are quite welcome, Kato." Tomoko replied with a smile.

As the brunette then got dressed in her usual clothes, she stepped outside for a breather when a voice called out to her. "Harada..."

Tomoko turned around and saw Nishi, also in his normal clothes, as he spoke, "You were quite the assistant...so much so, that I want to talk to you in private."

"Yes...what is it?" she asked.

Nishi then approached Tomoko and began talking. "There is a secret I've been wanting to tell you concerning a certain event that will happen to everyone on this planet. However, I don't want anyone else to know, so I want you to meet me somewhere much, much more private tomorrow night. Do you promise...Tomoko?"

Tomoko was taken by surprise that he began referring to her by her first name instead of her last name. However, she nodded and replied, "Yes, I promise."

"Good. Because if you don't make it in time...then you'll have to find out for yourself." Nishi said before leaving her alone.

Tomoko had no idea what he was saying: perhaps it seemed cryptic, but she needed to know as quickly as she can.

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The next day, Tomoko had finished eating dinner with her parents, both whom had been unaware of her being a part of Gantz, yet had also been aware of her death at the bank robbery. Once she was through as a hunter and earned her freedom, she could return to her normal life, although she would not remember the missions and the events concerning the aliens.

The sun had already set, and the sky was rather black-blue, indicating it was close to nighttime. Tomoko immediately wrote a letter on her bed and left her room; the note read:

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I'll be gone for the evening, but I'll be back home tomorrow._

_I hope you understand._

_Love, Tomoko_

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Upon arriving at the city streets, Tomoko began searching high and low for Nishi, until she stopped at what appeared to be the very same love hotel that Natsuki and Izumi went to. She entered the building and asked the receptionist.

"You don't need to pay, miss. A customer had reserved a room for just you and him for the entire night." she told her with a smile.

Tomoko nodded and discovered the room he rented was the Romance suite, a pure white bedroom which almost looked like Heaven, something that anyone that died would've moved on to. It was located on the top floor, room 3.

Using the elevator, Tomoko decided to travel to the highest floor of the love hotel and found the room she was looking for. As she knocked on the door, a voice called out to her, "You may enter."

As she opened the door, she was surprised to discover Nishi sitting at the edge of the large bed, looking down at the floor, perhaps in deep thought. Clearly, Tomoko didn't expect him to shack both her and himself in a love hotel, but she knew he had already told her that he would tell her something important in a private, discreet location.

Tomoko then sat next to Nishi, and began to come up with something to say to him. However, she seemed more and more nervous, as well as rather tense. Finally, she said, "I'm going to use the bathroom."

"Fine, very well." Nishi told her, and Tomoko then opened the door leading to the bathroom.

To her surprise, the tiles and walls were as white as the snow, the fixtures were made of pure gold, a large bathtub full of water and with red rose petals on top were a splendid sight, and a large gold shower with a 'cover' so that other people could see only the silhouette of the man or woman in the shower. Tomoko realized it was gorgeous...too gorgeous!

Perhaps the love hotel was a perfect location for anyone to spill their true secrets to, and Nishi picked the right place at the right time. Tomoko sighed as she began undressing, until she stood there completely nude after letting her hair down, then entered the shower and closing the door behind.

Closing her eyes, Tomoko began to allow her mind to wander...until she heard the sound of a door opening. She opened her eyes and looked around, and investigated the bathroom from the glass doors.

She then saw what appeared to be a man getting undressed...but could that man be Nishi? Tomoko swallowed before facing the walls yet again, her eyes closed shut.

The door leading to the shower opened once again, and Nishi entered, tracing a finger up and across Tomoko's spine, and allowing her to turn around. She gasped as she tried to cover her breasts before he told her, "No one's here but the two of us. Now I shall tell you..."

Tomoko sighed in relief before Nishi began to speak, "I have discovered that the world will end soon, and I had been thinking to myself...when you managed to protect me after I was attacked by Nurarihyon, I was quite pleased with what you had done, so that is why I want to tell you something..."

Cupping Tomoko's chin, Nishi finally said, "I want you to be with me when the world ends."

Tomoko immediately knew it; the words in between the two paragraphs on the website were true: the world was actually going to end!

This caused the brunette to gasp and ask, "Are...are you sure? So...so you're saying we're...more than...friends...?"

"Precisely. Clearly, you've been very fond of me when we became unlikely friends. The paintings you've made in your club...they were simply beautiful. Too beautiful, but not as extravagantly beautiful as yourself." Nishi replied.

Tomoko knew full well that if the world was going to end soon, she might as well spend the rest of her life with him. After all, it seemed that her feelings were ready to be reciprocated.

"Joichiro...I don't care what happens to the world, I'll always be at your side, even if we are freed from Gantz!" Tomoko exclaimed.

"So it's settled...we will no longer fight and quarrel like we have used to in the past. It's time for us to become one." Nishi said as he held Tomoko close to his bare body.

Leaning in, he locked lips with the brunette's, causing her to gasp. She wasn't expecting him to take charge, but she knew she had to comply.

Wrapping her arms around him, Tomoko sighed happily as their kiss began to intensify, but then Nishi broke the kiss and said, "Follow me."

Leaving the shower, Nishi put on a light blue bathrobe, and Tomoko, after turning off the water, followed suit by wearing a bathrobe of her own, except it was light pink in color. As they exited the bathroom, closing the door behind them, they stood at the side of the bed, maintaining their gaze with one another before he decided to remove his robe.

Tomoko blushed and tried to turn away, but Nishi reassured her by saying, "Look at me...don't be frightened, Tomoko. We're the only ones in this room."

Taking a small breath, Tomoko ended up taking off her robe, and letting it fall to the ground along with his. With their eyes still locked on one another, Nishi then leaned in to kiss her once more, and they finally embraced once again.

Running her hands across his smooth chest, she was amazed on how built he was, much like Izumi. However, this was also the first time Tomoko had ever saw a man naked in her entire life.

The pair eventually got in bed together, and with one hand on the small of Tomoko's back, Nishi ran the other across her porcelain skin, delighting in the sight of her amazing physique. Two of his fingers began teasing and pinching a rosy, hard nipple before he leaned in to suckle gently.

Tomoko gasped as she allowed him to worship her ample breasts, realizing that he was acting unusually gentle towards her, then took notice of him lowering down to in between her legs, running his tongue up and down her secret area. Holding onto the white, silk sheets, she moaned as Nishi held onto her hips, eager to get her ready by inserting a few fingers gently into her.

Nishi then reached up to Tomoko and with one hand, placed one of hers onto his hardened length. The arousal was due to the increasing tension between both, as their naked bodies also added more fuel to the fire.

Tomoko shuddered as she ran her hand across his manhood, then could only watch as he went in between her legs and simply gazed down at her. Nishi then slid himself slowly into her, causing her to almost shriek in pain.

"I never thought I would be your first, Tomoko..." Nishi whispered into Tomoko's ear, causing her eyes to close as she let out a sigh of sweet pleasure.

"Jo...Joichiro..." Tomoko gasped as she allowed him to move within her once her pain subsided.

As they made love, the brunette held onto him, running her fingers across his broad back and shoulders, and he returned the favor by kissing and suckling the nape of her neck gently, before settling his lips onto her nipples once again. Tomoko threw her head back and cried out in bliss, believing that she sealed her fate completely.

Nishi once again kissed Tomoko passionately as his movements began to slowly intensify. As they held onto one another, their moans began to fill the room, now in their own little world.

By the time their limits were approaching, however, they gazed into one another's eyes as they yelled out their lover's names. Tomoko screamed to the heavens as they climaxed together, before they laid there on the bed, their bodies covered in sweat, while the brunette had a noticeable pink flush to her complexion.

Neither said a word as Nishi and Tomoko exchanged one more passionate kiss before they fell asleep together. But by the time morning came, they both had said their goodbyes, promising that they will team up again in the final mission.

It was time for Tomoko to claim her freedom.

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_We've become one, Tomoko..._

_And when the world ends, we'll always be in each others's arms..._

_Yet, there's something I can't seem to understand and grasp completely._

_What happened that night made me fully realize..._

_That the only person I'd ever care about other than myself, was you and only you._

_I'd hate myself for saying this, but deep down inside..._

_I..._

_I love you._

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_Warden: *sigh* Looks like love is in the air..._

_Mistress: I don't understand. Something's wrong._

Wrong? I don't think there's anything wrong here ^.^

Will Tomoko be able to survive the last mission in Italy? Will Natsuki come to her senses and start acting normal all over again? And can their friendship be maintained, all the while Tomoko focuses on her newly solidified partnership with Nishi?

And as always, be sure to review!

With love for my fans,

Chrissy


	7. The Italian Mission & Conclusion

Author's note: This is it. The grand finale of this story. Will Tomoko and Natsuki survive the last mission?

**The Price of Freedom**

**Final Chapter: The Italian Mission**

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**Total Points So Far**

**Tomoko: 66**

**Natsuki: 67**

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Today was the day that all the hunters would be summoned for what was supposed to be the very last mission for all of them, as the world was coming to an end. Even Tomoko and Natsuki were summoned, and from the looks of it, the shorter girl seemed more cheerful and more happier.

After the Nurarihyon mission, Natsuki began to consider breaking away from Izumi, and believed that he was clearly using her for his purpose to fight the aliens. When Tomoko heard all of this, after returning from what was to be the first and (possibly?) last night of passion that she spent with Nishi, she was amazed that the short-haired girl was able to cope with Izumi's demise at the hands of the vampires.

Upon arriving at the building, the following hunters were present: Kurono, Kato, Sakurai, Reika, Hoi Hoi, Suzuki, Kouki Inaba, Kaze, Hikawa, Chiaki, Tomoko, Natsuki, Takeshi, Nishi, a man from Hiroshima, and the nerdy virgin as well as small girl from Osaka. Nearly everyone was at the edge of their seat, trying to find a way to survive the last mission, so that they could spend their final moments with the people they cared about.

"You've promised me to spend your last minutes of your life with me...did you?" a voice called out to Tomoko.

Turning around, the Gantz suit-clad brunette noticed the voice belonged to Nishi, and she nodded and replied with, "Yes...I have."

Then she noticed Natsuki running up to her and said, "Tomoko...there's just one thing I want to do when the world ends."

"Yes...?" Tomoko asked.

"I want to sing 'Joy to the World' in the middle of the street." Natsuki finally said.

"You...you would...?" Tomoko said, bewildered at her response.

"Yeah. After all I've been through, especially casting away my interest in Izumi, I just want to be myself and make the remaining moments of my life the most of it." Natsuki explained.

Tomoko gave her a bittersweet smile and hugged her Natsuki briefly before she told her, "I'm glad..."

Other hunters also made their resolutions when the world ended: Kurono wanted to grow more closer to Reika, although he was still dating Tae. Kato, on the other hand, wanted to spend his precious time with Anzu, if she was successfully resurrected during the last mission, of course.

As for Nishi, he was grateful that he and Tomoko reconciled and that their once strained friendship blossomed into a true romance. But he maintained the same personality and character when around everyone else, especially Natsuki.

Suddenly, the hunters were transported someplace else, but it was wasn't in another part of Japan.

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Instead, they arrived in Italy, in front of the legendary Trevi's fountain. They began to realize slowly, that is wasn't an all-out war, but more of a slaughter as nearly all of the Italian Gantz hunters had already been dead.

The aliens that made their presence were then revealed to be the Roman statue aliens, and they were strong...too strong for the hunters to handle. As the hunters began to fight the aliens, other teams demanded to be teleported to other places.

Inaba had been surrounded by several of the statue aliens, while Sakurai found out that the X Rifle can destroy the smallest of aliens, like the angel aliens. He even tried to ask the man from Hiroshima about 'Katastrophe', but the man was killed in the process.

The statue aliens were also about to kill Inaba when Suzuki came in to save him, but suffered a grisly fate, just like the one the younger man was about to accept. Enraged, the young man took a stand against the enemies, and went on a killing spree before he ended up dead as well.

As the battle went on, Natsuki had teamed up with Hoi Hoi, the panda serving as a bodyguard to the young girl. However, despite protecting her, the panda ended up giving up its life, and just as the aliens were about to kill the girl, the nerdy virgin came in and shot at the aliens, and the two immediately flee.

"Hey...I know you. You're that kid from Osaka that wanted to revive that woman." Natsuki said, rather bewildered.

"Um...yeah, that's me." the boy said.

"I'm Natsuki. Do you have a name?" Natsuki replied.

Just as he was about to respond, they heard Kaze encouraging them to continue the fight. "Don't worry, we'll fight together! Sound good?" Natsuki said with a grin.

The nerdy virgin nodded and replied, "Okay." The two then went on to take down the remaining aliens.

Tomoko and Nishi had teamed up together, but prior to the start of the mission, he was shot by a few police officers (or as Kureno actually perceived, a few classmates) at a school. She encouraged him to keep fighting regardless of the wound that she offered to dress, and after shooting down a few angel aliens, and destroying a statue alien, at the cost of an arm, she immediately followed him to a small alley.

Once they arrived, Nishi told Tomoko, "There was something I forgot to tell you. Prior to the incident involving my death, I was accused of shoplifting. The police ended up pursuing me, and when I returned home, my mother had already hung herself, and realized that I loved her more than just a mother, I decided to follow suit by jumping off the roof of the building. None of your classmates and not even yourself was aware of that fact, but...I hope you understand...Tomoko."

Tomoko solemnly nodded, and the two immediately got back in the game, but not before Nishi kissed her on the lips, although briefly before heading out together.

And so, as the battle went on, the surviving hunters suddenly felt themselves being teleported back to the building where Gantz was waiting for them. They all had no idea what was going on, but it wasn't a good thing...was it?

Yet Kurono and Kato had witnessed the giant Roman boss alien, shaped like the statue of David. However, it had yet been to be destroyed.

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Upon arrival, the points began to appear, as well as the message 'Finished' shown for Kurono, Kato, Sakurai, Kaze, Hikawa, Chiaki, and Takeshi. Tomoko had already gained back the arm she lost from fighting the statue alien, and to her surprise, she had gained 50 points for her efforts.

Kurono was almost at the brink of death, but thanks to a successful transfer, he had recovered. However, the points he obtained were a clear mystery, although it was between 90 and 99.

Natsuki only got 30 points, despite taking down some of the angel aliens. In addition, Nishi, Reika and the nerdy virgin had a total of 102, 101, and 135 points, respectively.

The nerdy virgin used his points to ressurrect Anzu, much to Kato's joy, while Nishi purchased a new weapon, the H Gun. Tomoko then used her points...but for a different reason.

"I...want to retire from being a hunter. I just to return to my normal life as a normal being, although I did an excellent job fighting for everyone else, Gantz." Tomoko explained.

And so, she used her points to obtain her freedom, at long last. However, Natsuki responded with, "I think I'm gonna enjoy being a hunter until I get my freedom, too. Even though I made some friends and enemies along the way."

This caused Tomoko to raise her eyebrows in surprise, then smiled before giving her friend a big hug. "Natsuki...I'm so proud of you."

Then, Reika decided to use her 100 points to try and ressurrect Suzuki, but Gantz had began malfunctioning and then shut down. Everyone seemed unaware that it was no longer functioning, and left the building, after changing into their normal clothes...except one.

Reika returned to the building to get her clothes, and was surprised to discover a more youthful, and alive Gantz standing before her. "What was it that you requested with your 100 points?" he asked kindly.

"Please...ressurrect Suzuki." she finally said.

"I know you're in love with Kureno, so I shall make a clone...out of him." Gantz said with a smile.

"What...?" Reika said, bewildered. Then again, she was madly in love with Kureno...

The copy of Kureno and Reika began to admit their true feelings for one another, leading to a heated moment between the two. She also quit her job as an idol, in order to stay with him until the world ended.

Anzu and Kato continued to maintain the love they had for one another, and he vowed to serve as some sort of protector to not only his brother, but perhaps also her son.

As for Tomoko and Natsuki...

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Natsuki and the nerdy virgin, whom she nicknamed as Nerdo, became close friends, and she was happy to understand the fact that she finally found someone she really liked from the bottom of her heart, willing to take their relationship further. In the middle of the street, her soft, angelic voice rang through the city like a mother soothing her children.

**Joy to the world, the Lord is come!**

**Let earth receive her King;**

**Let every heart prepare Him room,**

**And Heaven and nature sing,**

**And Heaven and nature sing,**

**And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.**

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Tomoko had returned home to embrace her new life as a changed woman, despite the memories of being a hunter of Gantz erased. However, what he didn't erase was her memory of her interactions with her former classmate, the boy who once avoided her, as well as rejecting her once unrequited affections.

Just as she was about to enter, however, Tomoko discovered a letter in the mailbox. She then opened the envelope and realized that the letter was from Nishi, and she curiously began reading it.

_Tomoko,_

_Remember when you said you were in love with me, but I never reciprocated them back in school, before I took my own life?_

_I am no longer hiding from your feelings...I guess I have to say it once and for all._

_I love you._

_From Nishi_

The brief, but heartwarming letter brought a broad smile to Tomoko's face, but she then saw a few more words at the very bottom of the paper.

_P.S. Meet me at that love hotel tonight. I want to celebrate the end of times with you._

Tomoko chuckled, and with a bittersweet smile, she took the letter with her as she entered the house, preparing for the end of the world with Nishi. Soon, 'Katastrophe' would eventually commence...

**_The end...?_**

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Although this is the conclusion, I have new stories that are ready to be enjoyed, and it starts off with Battle Royale II: The Game, which I might consider as the spiritual sequel to the manga adaptation of Battle Royale.

Oh...and I might do a one-shot about what might have happened between Kurono and Reika when they 'did the deed', as it wasn't shown in the manga.

To everyone that has read this story, thanks for the views! It really warms my heart to see that I've managed to pull off a good / decent Gantz fic.

With that being said, thank you, and peace out...for now!

With love for my fans,

Chrissy


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